1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to machinery for scoring and breaking sheets of glass into multiple sections.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The cutting of glass sheets into multiple sections using the conventional two-step score and break method is traditionally accomplished using one of two types of glass cutting machines. With the first type, typically referred to a glass cutting table or an X-Y cutter, the glass sheet is fastened to a cutter surface and a cutting tool travels along the surface of the glass to score the glass into predetermined shapes while the glass sheet remains stationary. Examples of glass cutting tables U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,618, issued to Russell W. Tausheck on May 6, 1975, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,555, issued to Peter Lisec on May 26, 1987. A glass cutting table is particularly suited for cutting the glass into irregular or non-uniform forms or shapes.
With the second type of glass cutting machine, the glass is conveyed along a conveyor belt or similar assembly to a scoring station where the glass is scored along a predetermined line. Scoring is typically performed by a cutting tool suspended above the glass which acts to score the glass while the glass is held momentarily stationary beneath the scoring station. After scoring the glass is conveyed away from the scoring station. Examples of such glass cutting machines may be seen in the following patent documents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,635, issued to Michel Lefevre on Nov. 9, 1965; U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,992, issued to Jacques Max Dryon on Aug. 24, 1971; U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,115, issued to Yasuyuki Nagae et al. on Nov. 21, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,372, issued to Thomas A. Insolio on Apr. 19, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,657, issued to Friedrich Halberschmidt et al. on Oct. 23, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,662, issued to Ronald R. Reed et al. on Oct. 27, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,585, issued to Peter Lisec on Nov. 24, 1992; and Canadian Patent No. 668,633 issued to Edgard Brichard et al. on Aug. 13, 1962.
With both types of glass cutting machines the scoring and breaking steps are performed separately. Often, the breaking step is performed by a separate machine or even by hand. Consequently, when glass is required to be cut into a large volume of uniform rectangular sheets for use in mass production, high speed production and preciseness can not be achieved using the conventional glass cutting machines described above. Also, conventional glass cutting machines often use complex automatic control systems, such as the system described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,115, to electrically control the mechanical components of the machine. This results in increased construction and repair costs for the machines. There is a need for a technically simple glass cutting machine capable of cutting glass into uniform rectangular sections with preciseness and at a high rate of speed. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.